Why are there so many citation styles?

If there were only one universal format for citations, it could make it difficult for some researchers to find the information that is most important to them about a source. For example, social sciences tend to use current research, so the publication date of a source is very important. For this reason, people in the social sciences tend to use APA style; APA style puts the date before all other information, aside from the author’s name, which makes it much easier for researchers in that field to find valid, up-to-date information.

Humanities fields such as literature, on the other hand, do not rely so heavily on dates, and instead focus on the title of the work and all the people/organizations involved in creating it. For this reason, the humanities tend to use MLA style, as this style gives precedence to that information.

Chicago style is the most flexible of the three styles listed, and it has two subtypes: Notes and Bibliography, and Author-Date (University of Chicago, 2010). The Notes and Bibliography subtype is more commonly used in the humanities (when the MLA style is not being used) because it focuses more on the bibliographic information of a source such as the author’s name(s), the title, and the publishing information (University of Chicago, 2010). Overall, it is fairly similar to MLA format, but instead of parenthetical in-text citations, it uses footnotes.

The Author-Date subtype of the Chicago style is more used in the “physical, natural, and social sciences,” according to the official Chicago Manual of Style website (University of Chicago, 2010). In this subtype, the author’s name and date are once again prioritized. This version of Chicago is also quite similar to APA, and it also uses parenthetical in-text citations like APA (whereas the Author-Date subtype does not).

It may seem silly to some people to have such similar citation styles, yet still not fuse them together to form one universal citation format. However, the slight rearrangement of information between each style is actually very important: it makes research much easier for those who prioritize different information. Therefore, although these formats are similar in many aspects, ultimately the little differences between each one are important for the fields that use them.

How do I cite correctly?

Most styles have an official manual that can give you the most complete information. There are many great web sites that can help you with citing.

1.) Pick a citation style (i.e. APA, MLA). Ask your professor which style they prefer if you are unsure.
2.) When you quote, paraphrase or summarize someone else's work you need to tell the reader the source you are using. Two common methods to do with are in-text citations/parenthetical citations and footnotes/endnotes.
3.) Give the complete citation at the end of your paper in the bibliography or works cited page.

What's the big deal about plagiarism?

To learn more about plagiarism: what it is, how to avoid it, and the consequences of plagiarism, go to this guide:

Why do I have to cite?

Whenever you quote, summarize, paraphrase or refer to the work of another person you need to cite it. Citing is the way to give credit to other's work when you use it in your papers, speeches and projects. Citing other's work is a very important step in the academic writing process and the best way to avoid plagiarism.

Tip: You do not have to cite anything that is considered common knowledge such as dates of events, well known facts, etc.

What types of things do I have to cite?

Whenever you quote, summarize, paraphrase or refer to the work of another person you need to cite it. Citing is the way to give credit to other's work when you use it in your papers, speeches and projects. Citing other's work is a very important step in the academic writing process and the best way to avoid plagiarism.

Tip: You do not have to cite anything that is considered common knowledge such as dates of events, well known facts, etc.